425x9.5, 1:1, cant remember timings, recommended i think
assumed it was ram really, i am bit of a noob when it comes to overclocking i admit, I shall try slacker timings etc when i get time
thanks for the help chaps
Just read to sticky guide in the overclocking section for some guidance.
You might have to up other things apart from vcore voltage to get a better overclock. Don't forget that above 1.4v is not recommended for your cpu if you want it to live long (a lot of people reckon it's a myth but do you want to prove them wrong?)
Also bear in mind that not every 8500 cpu can do 4.5Ghz or even over 4Ghz. Every chip is different and 4Ghz might be the max of your cpu.
Once you have found the max overclock for your cpu and made sure it is stable (8 hours of prime95 to be sure) you can then look at dropping the ram timings back down as they might be stable at the speed you are then running at.
Patience is the key and overclocking properly and successfully takes time (in fact a lot of time if you follow the following:
1. Set memory to 1:1 ratio and slack timings and fsb and vcore to default.
2. Increase fsb by either 5 or 10 Mhz (10Mhz to begin with, 5Mhz when you get higher)
3. Boot up and run prime95 for 15 mins
4. If stable go back to 2.
5. If not stable, increase vcore by one notch and try item 3 again
Keep notes as you go along including fsb, voltage settings, coretemps etc, it will help later especially if heat becomes an issue. Once you find you can't increase the speed, no matter what increase in vcore you use, go back to your last stable setting and run prime95 for 8 hours to ensure that it really is stable. If it isn't drop the fsb by 3-5Mhz and try again as you might have been right on the limit.
The bonus with keeping notes as you go is that you might find you max overclock is not something you want to use 24/7. Take my Q6600. I can get it stable at over 3.8Ghz but it runs in the low 70's and that is just too toasty for 24/7 living. I have now settled on 3.5Ghz for day to day as temps stay in low 60's and the difference in voltages between 3.5Ghz and 3.8Ghz is massive.
If I want to post a 3dmark or crysis benchmark I can quickly use my 3.8Ghz settings and then go back to my 3.5Ghz settings for day to day use.
There are of course other things you can tweak but the above is enough for a start.
Of course following the above if you started at your default processor speed the above process would take you a 3-5 hours just to get to 4Ghz and that assumes it never falls over and you have to increase the vcore.
I reckon if you do it properly the whole process (ignoring final 8 hour test) will take you about 8 hours to find your best overclock at the least voltages.
There are no quick ways of doing it tbh. Yeah, everybody can buy a q6600 and change nothing in bios execpt the fsb to 333 and get a 3Ghz chip but to go further it takes time.
Good luck, hope that helps. Glad I saved you wasting £100 on memory though.
